Hello,
I have a laptop with dual boot setup for Ubuntu/Windows 7. My company encrypted the Windows partition (McAfee) after which Windows no longer shows up in the boot loader. Can it be fixed?
thanks!
Give me some more information.
- Is your BIOS Legacy or UEFI?
- Was Grub your boot loader and under it you have an option to load Windows?
- On Ubuntu can you see your Windows partition?
- Under Ubuntu, run this command: sudo update-grub
Last edited by Megahertz07; 13 Aug 2016 at 10:55.
Hi thanks for your response
I'm not sure if my BIOS is legacy or UEFI - the only way I know to check is via Windows, and I can't get into Windows now. I was able to use Grub as the boot loader to pick between Windows and Ubuntu prior to the Windows encryption, but now Windows does not show up. Below are the results of the update-grub (no Windows)
latitude@latitude:~$ sudo update-grub
Generating grub configuration file ...
Found linux image: /boot/vmlinuz-4.4.0-34-generic
Found initrd image: /boot/initrd.img-4.4.0-34-generic
Found linux image: /boot/vmlinuz-4.4.0-31-generic
Found initrd image: /boot/initrd.img-4.4.0-31-generic
Found linux image: /boot/vmlinuz-4.4.0-21-generic
Found initrd image: /boot/initrd.img-4.4.0-21-generic
Found memtest86+ image: /boot/memtest86+.elf
Found memtest86+ image: /boot/memtest86+.bin
done
Quite sure you have a legacy BIOS. To understand the process, on a Legacy system, you have only one master boot manager per physical disk. On the active partition you have the Master Boor Record. MBR takes the boot sequence to the master boot manager (GRUB) and then this master boot manager can take to Ubuntu or another boot manager (Windows). As Ubuntu was the last OS system installed, you have Grub as the master boot manager.
When you update Grub, it looks for a Windows boot loader to put as an option at the menu.
You haven't answered if you can mount the windows partition under Ubuntu, but I think that, as you encrypted the Windows partition it can't find it.
Another way is to make windows boot manager as the master boot manager and to put on it an option to load Ubuntu.
Boot with Windows installation disk an make a boot repair. If it also can't find Windows, you're going to have to un-encrypt the drive fist.
NOTE
W7 hates being BEHIND Ubuntu.
IT should be the primary, otherwise causes lots of problems.
Roy.
Thanks again for the replies.
I cannot mount the Windows partition under Ubuntu -
As I understand from the comments it's unlikely I"ll be able to repair GRUB so it can recognise the encrypted partition? And my best course of action is to recover it with a Windows recovery/installation disk?
Grub is OK, it doesn't need repair. As it doesn't see your encrypted Windows, it can't load it.
You will have to change the master boot loader to Windows. To do so, try to boot with Windows installation disk an make a boot repair. If it also can't find Windows, you will have to un-encrypt the drive fist.
Thanks again. I tried the Windows installation disk, and it's not finding it either. How can I un-encrypt the drive without having access to it?
That's a good question.
You (or the IT guy on your company) will have to contact McAfee. They probably have a program that, with the encryption key, will unlock the windows partition.
There is a similar post of your problem here: https://superuser.com/questions/8427...tion-partition
Last edited by Megahertz07; 13 Aug 2016 at 16:00.
On a WEB search, I found out that McAfee encryption has its own boot loader, where you log in and it opens the Windows drive.
When you install or update Ubuntu, it changes the MBR to point to GRUB.
What has to be done, is restore the MBR to point to McAfee encryption boot loader or create an option on Grub to point to it.
Last edited by Megahertz07; 14 Aug 2016 at 16:52.
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